Malediction with a max range

[VIVIT]

I'm building a teke using the system outlined in Psychic Powers. He has TK Grab and TK Crush, and I want to connect these so that he can only Crush someone if he has Grabbed them. By analogy with the Accessibility (Only in altered body form) limitation I've applied Accessibility (Only in conjunction with TK Grab, -10%).

But I want to give this guy the short-range version of TK Grab, which has a strict 20-yard range limit. By default, TK Crush has Malediction 3, which has what basically amounts to LOS range (long-distance modifiers plus the requirement of visual or other perceptual confirmation), but this new requirement that the target be within the reach of his Grab incidentally applies a strict max range limit on the Malediction. I think that should count as its own limitation on top of the Accessibility, but it's proving surprisingly tricky to find an appropriate one.

Reduced Range is incompatible with Malediction because the former affects the Max and 1/2D statistics: Maledictory attacks lack these, instead functioning under penalty-based "soft" limits, with level 1 penalizing the roll linearly as a Regular spell, level 2 penalizing the roll logarithmically according to the SSRT, and level 3 imposing long-distance penalties (which are never relevant except under those very marginal circumstances where you can get perceptual confirmation on a target over half a mile away). PU8 has the Short-Ranged limitation, but that just changes the range penalty progression and would be equivalent to lowering the Malediction level.

Any ideas? If nothing else, I could improve the savings from the Accessibility limitation to -30% or so, but that feels like a kludge. "Malediction but it can't target things further than yea far away" feels like it should be easy to do, particularly because Malediction affects things other than range (ignoring DR, being resisted rather than dodged). PU4 has Increased Range, LOS, which lets you take an attack with a defined range limit and convert it into one that can affect anything you can see. Is there any way to do the opposite? To take an attack that can affect anything you can see and convert it into one with a defined range limit?

To be clear: I'm the GM; this is going to be an NPC; I'm just trying to work this out within the RAW as a character building exercise.

[Balor Patch]

If you have an Accessibility "Only in This Town" then "Only within 100 miles" is not a further limitation. That TK Grab already constrains the range is included in the base Accessibility.

[Christopher R. Rice]

I'd call it a Nuisance Effect worth maybe -10% or so.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by VIVIT

I'm building a teke using the system outlined in Psychic Powers. He has TK Grab and TK Crush, and I want to connect these so that he can only Crush someone if he has Grabbed them.

By analogy with the Accessibility (Only in altered body form) limitation I've applied Accessibility (Only in conjunction with TK Grab, -10%).

"requires grapple" is a -10% limitation in Powers: The Weird for stuff with Melee Attack

Given that you can substitute your TK lifting ability for your own encumbrance with something like Warp, doing the same with 'requires grapple' (ie "requires grapple with body" or "requires grapple with TK") could follow that precedent perhaps

Originally Posted by VIVIT

But I want to give this guy the short-range version of TK Grab, which has a strict 20-yard range limit. By default, TK Crush has Malediction 3, which has what basically amounts to LOS range (long-distance modifiers plus the requirement of visual or other perceptual confirmation), but this new requirement that the target be within the reach of his Grab incidentally applies a strict max range limit on the Malediction.

I think that should count as its own limitation on top of the Accessibility, but it's proving surprisingly tricky to find an appropriate one.

I'd be inclined to borrow the "Range Limit" limitation math from warp (B99) -5% x (10 + penalty) and just float it to malediction penalties instead of warp ones.

If you had malediciton 1 (-1 per yard) then if you set your max range at 2 yards then -5% x 8 = -40%, or merely -5% if you set it at 9 yards.

It works best with that though, I think it might need repricing with malediction 2 or malediction 3.

[the_matrix_walker]

Modifying these abilities involves getting "under the hood" anyway, so rather than deal with accessibility, I would just rebuild TK Crush. If you are using the point cost convention specified in Psionic Powers page #53

TK Crush (follow up)

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1 point (Based on IQ, +20%; Follow up, TK grab, +10%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Must stare intently and directly at the subject, -5%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Variable, +5%) [3/level].

Even though TK grab is not an innate attack, I priced the follow-up as such for TK grab's Increased Range... you are attacking to TK grapple with the grab after all... Because the range is no longer a factor for a follow-up, we can knock Malediction 3 down to Malediction 1.

This has the added benefit of crushing at the same time as the grab occurs. If you want it to only work on turns after the first, add (onset, 1 sec., exposure time, -20%) and you can only damage them when you've had a hold of them for a full turn. I might quibble over whether onset should be priced this way under usual circumstances, but on this Psionic Powers style build, it does not impact the point cost anyway.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

TK Crush (follow up)

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1 point (Based on IQ, +20%; Follow up, TK grab, +10%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Must stare intently and directly at the subject, -5%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Variable, +5%) [3/level].

You can't combine Malediction and Follow-Up - they are Penetration Modifiers. You could have Requires Will vs. Will roll (-15%) though.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

You can't combine Malediction and Follow-Up - they are Penetration Modifiers. You could have Requires Will vs. Will roll (-15%) though.

Oooops, Thanks for catching me!

I don't see the point of adding the contest when you're not bypassing the target's DR. That seems to be pretty key to the ability, so the follow-up approach is out the window.


So just throw "Accessibility: TK Grappled targets" on that bad-boy. I'm not sure who threw out -10%, but it seems more limiting to me for that...

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Oooops, Thanks for catching me!

I don't see the point of adding the contest when you're not bypassing the target's DR. That seems to be pretty key to the ability, so the follow-up approach is out the window.


So just throw "Accessibility: TK Grappled targets" on that bad-boy. I'm not sure who threw out -10%, but it seems more limiting to me for that...

The thing is unless you have multiple actions as soon as you stop using TK Grab to grapple you're only going to be able to choke it for maybe a round. I really think this might be better solved by a psi technique. Something that adds suffocating to TK Grab and turning it into a innate attack. Or having a ride-along technique like Double Strike for Mental Blow and Mental Stab

[the_matrix_walker]

I've been out of GURPS too long, where has my game gone? #!&$^ Fnord it!

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

The thing is unless you have multiple actions as soon as you stop using TK Grab to grapple you're only going to be able to choke it for maybe a round. I really think this might be better solved by a psi technique. Something that adds suffocating to TK Grab and turning it into a innate attack. Or having a ride-along technique like Double Strike for Mental Blow and Mental Stab

Or perhaps a Link

[VIVIT]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

The thing is unless you have multiple actions as soon as you stop using TK Grab to grapple you're only going to be able to choke it for maybe a round. I really think this might be better solved by a psi technique. Something that adds suffocating to TK Grab and turning it into a innate attack. Or having a ride-along technique like Double Strike for Mental Blow and Mental Stab

Good point. I forgot that TK Grab required constant concentration.